Replacing marine head on creaky old MT32

[Shell4747]

Hiyas! We have a creaky old MT32 on the Great Lakes, with original manual pump marine head, no brand markings, undoubtedly raw water pump. Last year it stopped working - the holding tank was pumped out at end of season but the marina was not able to flush the system during winterization.

So it will soon be time to make the trek north, and I am assuming we'll be replacing the head as opposed to any kind of repair/reconditioning. Several questions:

We are not subjecting the thing to a lot of use - perhaps 2 weeks cruise at a time, only a couple of times per season, we don't need anything fancy or elaborate, and we can't put a lot of money in it. Are these Jabsco Twist & Lock or Johnson AquaT cheapo models likely to work under this kind of load? Or do we need to budget more money, & if so on what?? Any other suggestions of types/brands? RV toilets? Keep in mind that anything better than a bucket is pure luxury from my point of view.

We are def doing the replacing ourselves, because money. I understand that we will be needing good hosing to prevent odor. How much hose?? 3 feet more than enough, 10 feet, what? Can we even guess what size - 1 inch or 1.5? I'm going to go crazy trying to guess exactly what we might need because I will have to order it and have it shipped to the marina, and lord help us if we need anything exotic, in bleedin Cheboygan.

 

[DHeckrotte]

Too difficult to make reasonable guesses from Philly, or TX, for that matter. There's a marina store at the Harbor Centre Marina, and at least two other marine stores (according to Google). Call 'em and see what they stock and how long special orders take.

With any kind of luck you have a picture of the offending head. With any kind of luck, you'll be able to buy the identical head or even a rebuild kit. None of this is rocket science. However, the existing head will likely have a plastic pump and the cylinder may well be scored. Or, buy the head of your dreams from Defender or similar. If so, be prepared to cope with new mounting holes, maybe relocating hoses, dealing with the old holes, and perhaps discovering that the base is rotten.

Manual heads output hoses are normally 1 1/2" dia. No sense buying hose until you know your requirements. You may well choose to simply use what's there; do the rub and sniff test.

We've all been there and done that. Never anybody's first choice of boating activity.

 

[Shell4747]

Too difficult to make reasonable guesses from Philly, or TX, for that matter. There's a marina store at the Harbor Centre Marina, and at least two other marine stores (according to Google). Call 'em and see what they stock and how long special orders take.

...

We've all been there and done that. Never anybody's first choice of boating activity.

Thanks for the reassurance, I will def give the stores in Cheboygan a call, I was assuming minimal stock and high cost at local joints, but surely they'll have bog-standard (ahem) hosing.

We're assuming replacement because of the age (38 yrs!) of the equipment, and the cost of repair kit vs that of new low-end heads at Defender, along with all the unknowns about exactly what needs repair. We can pretty def handle remounting or even repair of base! But at present a marine head is a black box full of mystery and ...other things.

Thanks again

 

[Xsbank]

Get the make and model number off it, there is likely a rebuild kit available. Take a photo and put it up here, somebody may recognize it.

 

[HeadMistress]

Everything has a lifespan...the average lifespan of a compact manual toilet is 7-9 years, during which time the mfrs redesign them several times and discontinue parts, kits and support for each version about 10 years after it's been replaced by the next version. The two brands you mentioned have even shorter life expectancy. So unless you want to be replacing pumps every few years, spend a little more just once for the top rated manual toilet on the market: the Raritan PH SuperFlush. It uses their PHII pump which has been top rated for about 30 years and has only been redesigned once--in 1992, so you'll always be able to get parts and/or a kit for it. ...if you just keep it lubricated and put a rebuild kit in it every 5-6 years will provide 20-25 years of reliable trouble free service. And btw, Raritan is one of the only two toilet mfrs left who still build in the US.

Defender seems to be the only stocking dealer for it and they have it on sale for <$300 Defender PH SuperFlush Toilet

Oh...btw, sanitation hoses are the last place you want to go cheap if you only want to do that once, 'cuz. Cheap sanitation hose permeates with odor very quickly...I've seen it happen in less than 90 days. This is the one place you need to go with the best, even it means you have live on BeanieWeenies for a month to afford it.

 

[alormaria]

I just put new heads in Angelina. I bought the manual Jabscos. I think I had to drill one new mounting hole for each. All the hoses lined up as before.

BTW - my former heads were the originals from 1977.

 

[FF]

"Any other suggestions of types/brands? RV toilets?"

To me RV toilets are the gold standard of the toilet world.

The hassle is the toilet MUST be located directly over the holding tank.

The toilet is dry between uses so no low tide dead mud smell.

1/10 the flush water will carry away the waste , so the tank will fill 9/10 slower.

Plumb the tank discharge with a pipe from top to near bottom , for marina suck out service.

An Edson 1 1/2 emergency pump on a board (your manual emergency pump) will do a fine job of emptying it.

The RV units come in many styles , the ceramic high bowl is best for many as in a heavy seaway its hard to convince guys to sit.

http://www.edsonintl.com/pumpstore/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=85

 

[Shell4747]

Thanks VERY much for the specific plug for the Raritan, and the context for it. So helpful! Now I have to make the case to the accountant.

As for hoses - I will def get the best possible hose. Just have to figure out logistics if it's not readily available locally. And beanie weenies are far too expensive anyway, it's rice & beans for the foreseeable future

 

[Shell4747]

I know we can't re-site the head, and I'm in some doubt that it is directly over the holding tank, but this could be a good argument for temporizing via portapotty until we are onsite and can get more information.

Thanks!

 

[HeadMistress]

You may not know that there are actually two portapotty versions--portable and the "MSD" version. The "MSD" designation in the model name/number means it has fittings for a pumpout line and vent line, and is designed to be permanently installed (actually just sturdier brackets than portables, so you could still take it off the boat if you absolutely have to), which means that although it's still called a PORTApotty, you don't have to carry anything off the boat to empty it.
A 5-6 gallon model holds 50-60 flushes...you'd need at least a 30 gal tank to hold that many from a manual marine toilet. No plumbing needed except a vent line and pumpout hose--so no new holes in the boat...and -0- maintenance needed except for rinsing out the tank--which you can do with a bucket while it's being pumped out. Cost including the pumpout hose and vent line is about $200--a fraction of what you'd spend for toilet, tank and all the related plumbing needed. And the best part is, you have all the advantages of a toilet and holding tank without giving up a single square foot of storage space.[FONT=&quot]. [/FONT]

Check out the Thetford 550P MSD Thetford 550P MSD and the Dometic/SeaLand 975 MSD SeaLand SaniPottie 975 MSD

Although not what anyone would describe as the most elegant solution, it solves all your problems for a price that won't require a steady diet of rice and beans.

 

[Shell4747]

We have an existing portapotty that is not plumbable so that's what we'll use. But if we find issues with the tank etc this would be a great option, thanks

 

[Gmarr]

You may not know that there are actually two portapotty versions--portable and the "MSD" version. The "MSD" designation in the model name/number means it has fittings for a pumpout line and vent line, and is designed to be permanently installed (actually just sturdier brackets than portables, so you could still take it off the boat if you absolutely have to), which means that although it's still called a PORTApotty, you don't have to carry anything off the boat to empty it.
A 5-6 gallon model holds 50-60 flushes...you'd need at least a 30 gal tank to hold that many from a manual marine toilet. No plumbing needed except a vent line and pumpout hose--so no new holes in the boat...and -0- maintenance needed except for rinsing out the tank--which you can do with a bucket while it's being pumped out. Cost including the pumpout hose and vent line is about $200--a fraction of what you'd spend for toilet, tank and all the related plumbing needed. And the best part is, you have all the advantages of a toilet and holding tank without giving up a single square foot of storage space.[FONT=&quot]. [/FONT]

Check out the Thetford 550P MSD Thetford 550P MSD and the Dometic/SeaLand 975 MSD SeaLand SaniPottie 975 MSD

Although not what anyone would describe as the most elegant solution, it solves all your problems for a price that won't require a steady diet of rice and beans.

I'd watch the beans part of it ;-)